Celebrating the 500th Anniversary of the Reformation
and
What It Means for Us Today

As I mentioned in my sermon on Sunday (10/1), there is no doubt in my mind that FPCY enjoys a good party, and we have much to celebrate this fall!

During the month of October, we will celebrate the 500th anniversary of the Protestant Reformation. On October 31, 1517, Roman Catholic monk Martin Luther nailed his 95 theses (or topics for conversation and critique) to the castle church door in Wittenberg, Germany. This watershed moment ushered in an era of social and political change that resulted in the creation of many new Christian church traditions, including the Reformed Tradition from which we Presbyterians are descended.

The motto of our Reformed branch of the Christian family tree is Once Reformed, Always Reforming, which points to our commitment to following God’s vision and call for our lives. This means that we are continually open to how God wants to form and re-form us, both as individuals and as a faith community. Our Reformation celebration invites us not only to look back, but to look to our present and future and ask, “What is God doing in our midst today? How is God continually re-forming us into more faithful disciples of Jesus Christ and a more faithful church community dedicated to following God’s vision for us and the world?”

There are many opportunities to join in our Reformation party:

Join us for worship each Sunday as we reflect on essential beliefs of our Reformed Christian faith – the Five Solas in the graphic above.

Join the Sunday morning (9:30 am) or Sunday evening (6:00 pm) adult education discussion groups where we will be looking at the Protestant Reformation(s) and what it all means for us today.

Participate in a conversation with our Ministry Development team. The MDT has been tasked by the Session to lead a discernment process at FPCY to determine future directions and next steps for our ministry and mission together. In addition to meeting with specific groups within the congregation, two congregation-wide opportunities for discussion will take place on Sunday, October 29 and November 5 after the 10:45 worship service. Lunch and child care will be provided. Please RSVP to Lisa Flanagan if you would like to attend.

Throughout the fall, we will also be celebrating our congregation’s generosity as we consider what it means to be faithful stewards of God’s gifts and blessings to us. Our stewardship theme this fall is Grace & Gratitude, and we will be highlighting the many ways in which we have experienced God’s grace through our ministry and mission together. We will also be invited to respond in gratitude through the giving of our time, talent and treasure.

All of this celebration will lead us right up to Advent and Christmas, when we celebrate God’s greatest gift of all, God’s love and grace in human form, Jesus Christ, our Savior and Friend. As a faith community, this is what all of our ministry and mission point to – the good news of God’s redeeming love and grace poured out for us and for this world God loves.